List of best-selling video games in the United States by year
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This is a listing of the best-selling video games in the United States annually by units sold since 1980, with sales figures from The NPD Group since 1994.[1] The United States is a very competitive market for video game developers. Games from different developers around the world have entered the annual lists of top ten best-selling games in the United States. The most successful developers are mostly from Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
Among the 41 reported annual top-sellers between 1980 and 2022, thirteen were published by Nintendo, twelve by Activision Blizzard, four each by Atari and Take-Two Interactive, three by Electronic Arts, and two each by Sega and Acclaim Entertainment. Video game publishers Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts managed to enter the list of ten best-selling games every single year with at least one of their games for the last fifteen years in a row. Of the twelve best-selling games released in the last thirteen years, eleven were from Call of Duty franchise and published by Activision Blizzard. Madden NFL and the Call of Duty series have been on the annual top ten best-sellers list twelve times over the last twelve years. Call of Duty has been the best-selling video game series in the US for the past 15 years.
The NPD lists do not encompass the industry as a whole, as some publishers, developers, and the majority of indie developers do not share data with NPD. Some video games companies also do not share physical games sales and some digital storefront sales such as Steam and Battle.net. Companies that share data with NPD include: Activision Blizzard, Atlus, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Embracer Group, Konami, Krafton, Marvelous, Microsoft Gaming, NCSoft, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games, and Wizard of the Coast.
1980–1997
[edit]Year | Top-selling title | Developer | Publisher | Platform | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Space Invaders | Taito | Atari | Atari VCS | 1,318,655 | [2][3] |
1981 | 2,964,137 | [3] | ||||
1982 | Pac-Man | Namco, Atari | 7,271,844 | |||
1983 | Ms. Pac-Man | GCC, Midway | 1,963,078 | |||
1986 | Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | NES | 1,000,000+ | [4][5] |
1987 | The Legend of Zelda | 2,000,000 | [6][7] | |||
1988 | Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt | Nintendo | 2,000,000+ | [8][9] | ||
1989 | Unknown | [10] | ||||
1990 | Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nintendo R&D4 | 8,000,000 | [4][11] | ||
1991 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Team | Sega | Genesis | 1,000,000+ | [12] |
1992 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sega | 2,000,000 | [13] | ||
1993 | Mortal Kombat | Midway | Acclaim | 1,000,000+ | [14] | |
1994 | Donkey Kong Country | Rare | Nintendo | SNES | 2,057,006 | [15][16] |
1995 | 1,000,000+ | [17][18] | ||||
1996 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo EAD | N64 | 2,000,000+ | [19][20] | |
1997 | Mario Kart 64 | 1,500,000+ | [19][21] |
1998–2009
[edit]1998
[edit]The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the best-selling game of 1998.
1999
[edit]Donkey Kong 64 was the best-selling game of 1999. Seven of the 10 best-selling games in the US in 1998 were published by Nintendo.
2000
[edit]Pokémon Gold/Silver was the best-selling game of 2000.
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Pokémon Gold/Silver | Game Freak | Nintendo |
2. | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo EAD | |
3. | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | Neversoft | Activision |
4. | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | ||
5. | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo |
6. | Madden NFL 2001 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts |
7. | The Sims | Maxis | |
8. | Diablo II | Blizzard North | Blizzard Entertainment |
9. | Pokémon Yellow | Game Freak | Nintendo |
10 | Perfect Dark | Rare | Rare |
2001
[edit]Madden NFL 2002 was the best-selling game of 2001.
2002
[edit]Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the best-selling game of 2002. Five of the 10 best-selling games in the US in 2002 were published by Electronic Arts.
2003
[edit]Madden NFL 2004 was the best-selling game of 2003.
2004
[edit]Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game of 2004.
2005
[edit]Madden NFL 06 was the best-selling game of 2005.
2006
[edit]Madden NFL 07 was the best-selling game of 2006.
2007
[edit]Halo 3 was the best-selling game of 2007.[22]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Halo 3 | Bungie | Microsoft Game Studios | 4,820,000 |
2. | Wii Play | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | 4,120,000 |
3. | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | Activision | 3,040,000 |
4. | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock | Neversoft | 2,720,000 | |
5. | Super Mario Galaxy | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | 2,520,000 |
6. | Pokémon Diamond | Game Freak | 2,480,000 | |
7. | Madden NFL 08 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts | 1,900,000 |
8. | Guitar Hero II | Harmonix | Activision | 1,890,000 |
9. | Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | 1,870,000 |
10. | Mario Party 8 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | 1,820,000 |
2008
[edit]Wii Play was the best-selling game of 2008.[23][24]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Wii Play | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | 5,280,000 |
2. | Mario Kart Wii | 5,000,000 | ||
3. | Wii Fit | 4,530,000 | ||
4. | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Sora Ltd, Game Arts | 4,170,000 | |
5. | Grand Theft Auto IV | Rockstar North | Take-Two Interactive | 3,290,000 |
6. | Call of Duty: World at War | Treyarch | Activision Blizzard | 2,750,000 |
7. | Gears of War 2 | Epic Games | Xbox Game Studios | 2,310,000 |
8. | Grand Theft Auto IV | Rockstar North | Take-Two Interactive | 1,890,000 |
9. | Madden NFL 09 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts | 1,870,000 |
10. | Mario Kart DS | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | 1,650,000 |
2009
[edit]Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling game of 2009.[25][26][27]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Infinity Ward | Activision Blizzard | 5,830,000 |
2. | Wii Sports Resort | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | 4,220,000+ |
3. | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 4,220,000 | ||
4. | Wii Fit | 3,500,000+ | ||
5. | Wii Fit Plus | 3,136,100+ | ||
6. | Mario Kart Wii | 3,136,100 | ||
7. | Wii Play | 3,110,000 | ||
8. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Infinity Ward | Activision Blizzard | 3,020,000 |
9. | Halo 3: ODST | Bungie | Microsoft Game Studios | 2,000,000+ |
10. | Pokémon Platinum | Game Freak | Nintendo | 1,900,000+ |
2010–2019
[edit]2010
[edit]Call of Duty: Black Ops was the best-selling game of 2010.[28]
2011
[edit]Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the best-selling game of 2011, followed by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Madden NFL 12.
2012
[edit]Call of Duty: Black Ops II was the best-selling game of 2012.[29]
2013
[edit]Grand Theft Auto V was the best-selling game of 2013.[30][31] The game became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history three days after its release.[32]
2014
[edit]The best-selling game of 2014 was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.[33]
2015
[edit]The best-selling game of 2015 was Call of Duty: Black Ops III.[34]
2016
[edit]The best-selling game of 2016 was Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Among the top ten best-selling games in 2016, eight were multiplayer games and the other two had multiplayer modes. Among the ten titles, three were published by Activision Blizzard, three by Electronic Arts, two by Take-Two Interactive, and one each by Ubisoft and Square Enix.[35]
2017
[edit]The best-selling game of 2017 was Call of Duty: WWII, followed by NBA 2K18 and Destiny 2. PUBG is absent from the list due to PUBG Corporation not sharing sales data with the NPD. Nintendo also do not share digital sales data with the NPD, thus Nintendo games are under-represented.[36]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Call of Duty: WWII | Sledgehammer Games | Activision Blizzard | |
2. | NBA 2K18 | Visual Concepts | Take-Two Interactive | |
3. | Destiny 2 | Bungie | Bungie | Digital sales incomplete |
4. | Madden NFL 18 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts | |
5. | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
6. | Grand Theft Auto V | Rockstar North | Take-Two Interactive | |
7. | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands | Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Milan | Ubisoft | |
8. | Star Wars Battlefront II | DICE | Electronic Arts | Digital sales incomplete |
9. | Super Mario Odyssey | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
10. | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Digital sales not included |
2018
[edit]Red Dead Redemption 2 was the best-selling game of 2018, Rockstar Games' first game in over 5 years.[37] For the first time since 2013, the best-selling game of the year wasn't a Call of Duty game.[38]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rockstar Games | Take-Two Interactive | |
2. | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Treyarch | Activision Blizzard | PC sales not included |
3. | NBA 2K19 | Visual Concepts | Take-Two Interactive | |
4. | Madden NFL 19 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts | PC sales not included |
5. | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Bandai Namco Studios, Sora Ltd. | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
6. | Marvel's Spider-Man | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment | |
7. | Far Cry 5 | Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto | Ubisoft | |
8. | God of War | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment | |
9. | Monster Hunter: World | Capcom | Capcom | |
10. | Assassin's Creed Odyssey | Ubisoft Quebec | Ubisoft |
2019
[edit]The best-selling game of 2019 was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.[39]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | Activision Blizzard | |
2. | NBA 2K20 | Visual Concepts | Take-Two Interactive | |
3. | Madden NFL 20 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts | |
4. | Borderlands 3 | Gearbox Software | Take-Two Interactive | |
5. | Mortal Kombat 11 | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Games | |
6. | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Respawn Entertainment | Electronic Arts | |
7. | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Bandai Namco Studios, Sora Ltd. | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
8. | Kingdom Hearts III | Square Enix Business Division 3 | Square Enix | |
9. | Tom Clancy's The Division 2 | Massive Entertainment | Ubisoft | |
10. | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
2020–present
[edit]2020
[edit]Top selling game of 2020 was Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and NBA 2K21.
2021
[edit]Call of Duty: Vanguard was the best-selling game of 2021.[40] Two of the top 10 best-selling games of 2021 were Activision Blizzard games.[41]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Sledgehammer Games | Activision Blizzard | |
2. | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Treyarch, Raven Software | ||
3. | Madden NFL 22 | EA Tiburon | Electronic Arts | |
4. | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl | ILCA | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
5. | Battlefield 2042 | DICE | Electronic Arts | |
6. | Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment | |
7. | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
8. | Resident Evil Village | Capcom | Capcom | |
9. | MLB The Show 21 | San Diego Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment, MLBAM | Digital sales incomplete |
10. | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
2022
[edit]Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II from Activision Blizzard was the best-selling video game in the United States in 2022.[42] The game outperformed the previous record-holders for the series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 from 2011 and Black Ops II from 2012.[43]
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II | Infinity Ward | Activision Blizzard | |
2. | Elden Ring | FromSoftware | Bandai Namco | |
3. | Madden NFL 23 | EA Orlando | Electronic Arts | |
4. | God of War Ragnarök | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment | |
5. | Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Traveller's Tales | Warner Bros. Games | |
6. | Pokémon Scarlet and Violet | Game Freak | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
7. | FIFA 23 | EA Vancouver, EA Romania | Electronic Arts | |
8. | Pokémon Legends: Arceus | Game Freak | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
9. | Horizon Forbidden West | Guerrilla Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment | |
10. | MLB The Show 22 | San Diego Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment, MLBAM | Digital sales incomplete |
2023
[edit]Hogwarts Legacy from Warner Bros. Games was the best-selling video game in the United States in 2023. For the first time in 15 years, the best-selling video game in the US was not a game from Activision or Rockstar Games. However, due to the NPD being unable to track Nintendo digital sales data, only physical sales are counted for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.[44] The NPD is also unable to track Battle.net sales for Diablo IV. Call of Duty finished 2023 as the best-selling video game series in the US market for the 15th consecutive year.
Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Hogwarts Legacy | Avalanche Software | Warner Bros. Games | |
2. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III | Sledgehammer Games | Activision Blizzard | |
3. | Madden NFL 24 | EA Orlando | Electronic Arts | |
4. | Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment | |
5. | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | Digital sales not included |
6. | Diablo IV | Blizzard Entertainment | Activision Blizzard | Battle.net sales not included |
7. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II | Infinity Ward | ||
8. | Mortal Kombat 1 | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Games | |
9. | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Respawn Entertainment | Electronic Arts | |
10. | EA Sports FC 24 | EA Vancouver, EA Romania |
2024 (January–May)
[edit]EA Sports College Football 25 is the best-selling game of 2024 as of August.[45]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Stevens, Colin (November 8, 2018). "Here Are the Best-Selling Games of Each of the Last 23 Years". IGN. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ Kent, Steven L. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond (PDF). Three Rivers Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7615-3643-7.
- ^ a b Cartridge Sales Since 1980. Atari Corp. Via "The Agony & The Ecstasy". Once Upon Atari. Episode 4. Scott West Productions. August 10, 2003. 23 minutes in.
- ^ a b "Count Down Hot 100: USA Hot 10!". Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 226. 16 April 1993. p. 83.
- ^ DeMaria, Rusel; Meston, Zach (1991). Super Mario World Game Secrets. Prima Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-55958-156-1.
Super Mario Bros. featured Mario in a romp through eight delightfully varied worlds, each one jam-packed with action and adventure. The game sold more than one million copies in 1986 alone. (Today, Super Mario Bros. comes packaged with the NES.)
- ^ Lindner, Richard (1990). Video Games: Past, Present and Future; An Industry Overview. United States: Nintendo of America.
- ^ "Many video toys now available for the holidays". The Robesonian. 18 December 1988. p. 6C. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Tops in Toyland". U.S. News & World Report. Vol. 106. U.S. News Publishing Corporation. 1989. p. 80.
Best-selling toys of 1988 (...) 1. Action set (Nintendo)
- ^ "Nintendo captures American market". Eugene Register-Guard. 24 December 1988. p. 3G. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Asian Sources Gifts & Home Products. Vol. 9. Trade Media Limited. 1991. pp. 260–1.
Toy production climbed 5.2 percent amounting to 439,900 million yen in 1989. (...) Best sellers in the United States were the Action Set, Ninja Turtle and Game Boy, all made by Nintendo.
- ^ "Good Housekeeping". Good Housekeeping. Vol. 212. Hearst Corporation. 1991. p. 152.
8 million Super Mario Bros. 3 games were sold in 1990
- ^ Kalinske, Tom (November 24, 1992). Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Launch (Sonic 2sday). Sega of America. Event occurs at 0:32. Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
{{cite AV media}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Video Hits: 1992's top video-game sellers". Business Week. No. 3335–3338. McGraw-Hill. 1993. p. 6.
1992's top video-game sellers
Rank Company/Game Millions sold
1 Sega / Sonic The Hedgehog 2 2.0
2 Capcom / Street Fighter II 1.0
3 Nintendo / The Legend of Zelda 1.0
Data: Company Reports - ^ "Video game violence under attack". The Bulletin. Oregon, United States. 16 January 1994. pp. G.
- ^ Famighetti, Robert, ed. (1995). "Top-Selling Video Games, 1994". The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1996. World Almanac Books. p. 259.
Source: The NPD TRSTS Video Game Tracking Service, The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, NY; ranked by units sold
- ^ "December 1994 - U.S. Top 40". The NPD Group. August 26, 2006. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
- ^ "Top-Selling Video Games, 1995". The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1997. World Almanac Books. 1996. p. 293. ISBN 9780886878016.
Source: The NPD TRSTS Video Game Tracking Service, The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, NY; ranked by units sold
- ^ Carlton, Jim (November 23, 1995). "Fans remain loyal to 16-bit machines". The Hartford Courant. The Wall Street Journal. p. E2. Retrieved December 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
Nintendo's 'Killer Instinct' has sold more than 1 million copies since it was introduced in September, as has the Nintendo version of 'Mortal Kombat III' and the company's recently released 'Super Mario World: Yoshi's Island.'
- ^ a b "NPD Reveals List of Top Selling Games in US Annually Since 1995". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "Inventor pales beside his 'Mario' creation". El Paso Times. Associated Press. 16 March 1997. p. 56.
- ^ Thompson, Adam (22 October 1997). "The pain of addiction". Oshkosh Advance-Titan. University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. p. 9. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
Last month Final Fantasy VII hit the stores and sold 1.5 million copies the first week.
- ^ "NPD: 2007 game earnings nearly $18 billion, Halo 3 sells 4.82 million". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
- ^ Brendan Sinclair (January 15, 2009). "NPD: 2008 game sales reach $21 billion, Wii Play sells 5.28M". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ James Brightman (January 15, 2009). "NPD: Nintendo Drives '08 Industry Sales Past $21 Billion". GameDaily. Archived from the original on March 31, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ "US 2009 game retail sales total $19.66 billion - NPD". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "NPD's top 10 of 2009 (so far) topped by Modern Warfare 2". GameSpot. December 15, 2009. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Nunneley, Stephany (2010-01-14). "NPD December 2009: Super Mario Bros. Wii tops with 2.8M copies". VG247. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Reilly, Jim (May 8, 2012). "The Best Selling Games of 2010". IGN. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "NPD: Black Ops II is US top-selling game of 2012". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "GTA 5 top-selling game in 2013 in US, Call of Duty: Ghosts leads December – NPD". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2014-01-16). "Grand Theft Auto V best-selling game of 2013 – NPD". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (2013-09-20). "GTA 5 Sales Hit $1 Billion in Three Days". IGN. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "These are the best-selling games of 2014, NPD says". TechSpot. 2015-01-16. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "Here Are The Best Selling Video Games of 2015". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Arox (2017-01-20). "NPD Announces Best-Selling Games of 2016". Sports Gamers Online. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ "NPD 2017: The 10 best-selling games of the year". VentureBeat. 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ^ Writer, Rebekah Valentine Senior Staff (2019-01-23). "NPD: US video games sales reached $43.4 billion last year". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ Tim, Geoffrey (2019-01-23). "For the first time since 2013, Call of Duty wasn't the best-selling game of the year". Critical Hit. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "NPD: The 20 best-selling games of 2019 in the U.S." VentureBeat. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "Call of Duty: Vanguard Was Best-Selling Game of 2021". Game Rant. 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "NPD: The top 20 best-selling games of 2021 in the U.S." VentureBeat. 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "NPD has revealed the best-selling games of 2022 in the United States". VGC. 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Hits $1 Billion In Revenue In 10 Days, Faster Than Any Past CoD Title". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "Diablo 4 Becomes Third-Biggest Game Of 2023 After Huge Start; PS5 Continues To Soar In US". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "2024's Best-Selling Games In The US So Far". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-06-06.